


Friends

by yeaka



Series: Yutopian Zoo [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Animal Traits, Ficlet, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-06 01:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12806277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: JJ and Otabek visit their favourite tiger.





	Friends

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is set in the same partial-animal AU as some of my other ficlets, but it’s stand-alone and you don’t need to read them for this. (Long story short; JJ bought binturong!Otabek from the zoo.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Yuri on Ice or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

Usually, Jean-Jacques walks through the gates of the zoo with a broad grin on his face, ready to flash a wave to anyone he knows—which, by now, is almost every last member of staff, not to mention a few of the ‘animals.’ He’s visited enough, donated enough, and even volunteered enough to be on almost everyone’s ‘good’ list, and besides all that, he’s just a confident guy by nature.

But this time is different, because it’s not just him alone, and he finds himself strangely stiff as they pass the greeter by the doors. He loops a subconscious arm around and splays his hand against the small of Otabek’s back. He half expects Otabek to bat him away, but Otabek just _looks_ at him, silent as ever, and they keep on walking. Jean-Jacques’ fears prove all unfounded—no one rushes in to steal Otabek away from him.

Some of the other visitors stare as the two of them weave through the twisting paths of the sprawling zoo, but thankfully, they’re left alone. Otabek sticks out like a sore thumb amidst the crowd—everything about him screams _not human_ , from the fuzzy black ears atop his head to the long, furry tail that trails off behind him. He doesn’t carry himself quite _right_ , because he prefers all fours on a branch instead of two legs on the earth. His expression is stony, like it’s been as long as Jean-Jacques’ known him, and that attitude might be what’s keeping the curious patrons at bay. He hardly looks like the sort of creature one could just go up to and pet. 

_Jean-Jacques_ gets to pet him. And it makes Jean-Jacques smirk just to think about, boosting his confidence—he doesn’t know why he was worried. He has the papers that clearly show Otabek’s _not_ another zoo exhibit, and the thick collar around his neck even holds Jean-Jacques’ name and number on a silver pendant in the middle. Otabek walks comfortably at Jean-Jacques’ side, swept up in Jean-Jacques’s arm, until Jean-Jacques turns to head for the viverridae exhibits while Otabek takes a hard left. 

Jean-Jacques catches him by the sleeve of his borrowed faux-leather jacket—that’s another thing that separates him from the local residents; all the hybrids in the zoo wear simple black coveralls, and most say they’d rather wear nothing at all. Otabek’s dressed like a _person_ , in Jean-Jacques’ dark-wash jeans, Jean-Jacques’ white shirt, and Jean-Jacques’ black jacket. Coincidently, his dark undercut isn’t all that different than Jean-Jacques’s hair, either. He looks ravishing. Always does. Jean-Jacques tells him, “That’s the wrong way—the binturong exhibit is over here.”

“I know,” Otabek says, his voice deep and his English _almost_ flawless. “I came for the tigers.”

Jean-Jacques lifts both brows. He’d just assumed that when Otabek asked for a ride to the zoo, he meant to visit his own kind. But Jean-Jacques doesn’t question it—he likes the tigers too.

He grins and nods, turning to follow Otabek through the other milling guests towards the large enclosure that holds a mixture of big cats—most notably, a feisty blond that’s currently rolling around in the grass, grinding his shoulder blades against the earth. It always amazes Jean-Jacques how both human and _not_ the hybrids are. Most of the visitors keep a meter or two between them and the tall chain-link fence that separates the ferocious predators. Otabek walks right up to the mesh, so close his nose is almost touching it. Jean-Jacques follows suit—he’s never been afraid of the exhibits.

The young tiger lying closest to them rolls his head back, peering up at his new patrons. His long yellow hair tumbles over one green eye, his striped ears twitching and his tail thumping the ground. Then he rolls right over, up onto all fours, and pushes to his feet. He stalks forward, coming closer to the fence than most human-animals ever dare, and he puts his hands on his hips to accuse Otabek, “I can’t believe you went soft on humans!”

Even though Yuri spoke only to Otabek, Jean-Jacques greets, “Good afternoon, kitten.”

Yuri bristles at the nickname, like he bristles at almost everyone and everything, which makes Jean-Jacques laugh at just how _cute_ he is. Jean-Jacques should’ve known his quiet Otabek would have a soft spot for the zoo’s loudest attraction. Yuri snaps, “Shut up!” and then jabs a finger at Otabek’s throat, finger poking right through the fence. His nails are sharp, almost claws, but they harmlessly deflect off the metal pendant. “You’re wearing a collar, now? I can’t tell if it’s more gross or stupid looking. You shouldn’t have let him do that to you!”

Otabek deadpans without pause, “It was my idea.” Yuri jolts back in horrified surprise, and Otabek calmly explains, “So people would know I’m privately owned, and not some wandering zoo attraction for them to pet and play with.”

Jean-Jacques would never have suggested collaring a sentient being. But he finds himself smiling at Otabek’s words, and he can’t deny he likes the idea of it, the way it looks snug against Otabek’s handsome throat. Everything about Otabek is impressive, and Jean-Jacques casually drapes an arm around him again, boasting: “That’s right; he’s all mine.”

Otabek lightly shoves him. Not off, exactly, and not quite playful, because _Otabek_ isn’t playful. It’s just sort of a singular statement, and Jean-Jacques politely withdraws his arm, but he still keeps smiling. 

Yuri sniffs, “You’re an idiot.” He directs it at Jean-Jacques, but tells Otabek, “You should come back. Maybe a private owner will keep you safe from poachers, but here, we get pampered and given all the food we could want, and we can show off how amazing we are. We’ve got special needs, Beka. He can’t take care of you.”

That does stir up a twinge of worry. Jean-Jacques _knows_ he can take care of Otabek; he researched it thoroughly before he ever offered to buy a human-binturong off the downsizing zoo. And Otabek seems fine on his property, which is huge and full of plenty of trees, where Otabek seems perfectly happy to lounge about all day, but there’s always a chance it’s _missing_ something.

“I can get my own food,” Otabek grunts, like nothing Yuri said tempted him in the slightest. “And I don’t want to show off.”

Yuri wrinkles his nose. Somehow, the irritation makes him even cuter, but there’s a reason the chainlink’s holes aren’t big enough for someone to stick their hand through to pet the animals. Yuri probably wouldn’t be any more impressed if he knew how often Otabek sauntered up to Jean-Jacques at home, wordlessly nuzzling beneath his hand to be petted and stroked. Kicking the ground, Yuri mutters, “Well... I guess I’m glad you’re happy. And okay. ...Not like the rest of the lazy lumps in this place.” He stops to shoot a glare at a nearby panther who Jean-Jacques’ never caught the name of. Not all the animals are as attention-grabbing as the famous ‘Yurio, the Ice Tiger of Russia.’ Or so he’s affectionately nicknamed for his chilly attitude. 

Because Otabek’s happiness is really a compliment to Jean-Jacques’ skills as a provider, he proudly answers, “Thank you.”

Yuri instantly snaps, “Not you! You’re just a stupid patron; you don’t understand!”

Jean-Jacques just laughs. Yuri’s tail flicks dangerously, slightly fanged teeth bearing. He hisses to Otabek, “I pity you for being stuck with him.”

Otabek just shrugs, which is probably as close to Jean-Jacques’ defense as he’ll come. Jean-Jacques just smiles all the warmer. Yuri shakes his head and looks away.

Then his eyes sneak back to Otabek, and a faint blush stains his pale cheeks. He changes the subject completely, admitting: “I like your new jacket.”

“Thanks. You wanna try it on?”

Yuri nods eagerly before Jean-Jacques can say, “Hey!” And by then, Otabek’s already stripping it off, balling it up, and chucking it up over the fence. It easily clears the top and flutters down on the other side—Yuri reaches up to snatch it out of the air. Then he’s pulling it on with a toothy grin, and it’s Jean-Jacques’ turn to blush, because Yuri looks so proud in _Jean-Jacques’_ jacket. Or Jean-Jacques’ and Otabek’s. But it’s probably Yuri’s now; Jean-Jacques doubts he’ll get it back. 

The most positive he’s been yet, Yuri chirps, “This is awesome.” He grips the ends the entire time, like he’s never had a jacket before and thinks he has to hold it on himself. He tells Otabek with a genuine smile, “You should tell your human to buzz off and then come in and chat with me.”

Even though Otabek nods, Jean-Jacques says, “I’m not letting my prize binturong inside a tiger’s pit.”

Yuri looks instantly offended and snaps, “I don’t eat sentient animals, stupid!”

“We can talk through the fence,” Otabek says. “I could probably scale it, and so could you, but then we’d be in trouble.” Yuri begrudgingly nods. To Jean-Jacques, Otabek says, “You should go get a snack or something.”

“And leave you here?” That doesn’t sound smart.

But Otabek casually suggests, “If anyone tries to abduct me, Yuri will eat them.”

“I’ll gobble them right up,” Yuri smugly agrees. It should probably be disturbing, but it just makes Jean-Jacques laugh. And it’s not like Otabek is a helpless mouse—binturongs can be dangerous when cornered, and Otabek’s got muscles as big as Jean-Jacques’.

So he agrees, because Otabek’s giving him that _look_ , and the whole point of buying Otabek was to give him _freedom_. Jean-Jacques pecks Otabek on the cheek first anyway, to which Yuri makes a gagging noise, and Otabek has no reaction whatsoever. He’s a private person. The reaction will come in the car, or once they’re home, and Otabek inevitably decides he likes Jean-Jacques’ warmth more than the sunlight on his branches. 

Jean-Jacques heads off for the concession stand, and his binturong has fun in his wake.


End file.
